Comments expressed
August 28, 2009
Shipping Business?
Might sound completely crazy but The Port Of Astoria is looking into getting into the container shipping business. Not just as a container yard operator either. The Port is seeking a grant for a demonstration project where the Port would build and own two small container ships and a company out of California would lease them. There is a possibility that the slow moving negotiations for the Port to purchase North Tongue Point and efforts to clear the rail line to Portland may play into this idea at some point. Stay tuned.
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Several years ago P M & O lines called at Portland to charge and discharge containers directed at the Pacific trade. This line went bankrupt and left owing much monies to the locals. What ever happened to these very classy, small and fast vessels? Check this image of the Micronesian Navigator. http://www.pbase.com/pgilston/image/40042149
ReplyDeleteHaving the Port building then owning 2 vessels scares me looking at their past track record. I suspect it would be cheaper to sail the vessel to Portland for discharge than unloading onto rail cars for delivery elsewhere, I may be wrong but lets have an expert crunch the numbers. The containers business is really slow with a continual fight among Ports to keep it viable. Deals Only is a poor example of cargo for Astoria.
Crazy?
ReplyDeleteI envision this opportunity as a start to a "Transfer Fleet" of container carriers in combination with a working railroad to get freight up and down river when the major shippers don't want to go all the way upriver anymore and instead choose to off and on-load at a Lower Columibia Unified Super Port.
Crazy?
Maybe not so much.
Here's "Anonym 8:05AM's" Link To Micronesian Navigator
ReplyDeleteCould be, the way trends are going, a bunch of these will be available for chump change at some point but Barges?
Wonder if they really mean Container Barges.
Of course, Patrick McGee is the person who puts up polls he admited are bogus. Does he continue to do this? How honest can his comments be?
ReplyDeleteIt's called "Short Sea Shipping" And Here's A Very Informative Article That May Help Your Thinking On This Unique Opportunity
ReplyDeleteGo research the Old Daily "A" special articles of late 50's early 60s that touted Astoria as the next "San Francisco of the West". These articles bragged as how Astoria was shortly to be larger than Portland. It had examples of what we had and what was going to replace them. Where the docks and infrastructure was to be located. No of it has ever come true. Sorry; the big players will never allow this to take place.
ReplyDelete"The Big Player" you mean?
ReplyDeleteThe Port of Portland?
Have you seen the current "Evergreen" container ships coming through here, nowhere near full becuase of draft?
How long before they say, "to hell with this 139 mile nuisance, we'll go somewhere else"?
How many major container shippers have stopped going to Portland recently?
I can envision a major shake-up in our river shipping commerce coming in the not too distant future and we need to be ready for it but because of it as well I can see a promising future and many jobs in that Short Sea Shipping scheme as well.
McGee please be useful and go locate a vapor cloud somewhere else....
ReplyDelete